Barracks News : February 2011

Raising of the Flag

Gem would like to advise all residents that the raising of the flag will happen on Sunday, March 27th, and drinks and nibbles will be available in Ramsey House. All are welcome.

Street Furniture Decoration

Gem and the Resident's Committee members discussed the 3 quotes provided for the redecoration of the street furniture. It was agreed to instruct CT Services due to the quality of the quote submitted, letter of guarantee provided and on the recommendation of Gem. The work will commence in the spring once the weather has settled down.

CCTV

Unfortunately the company awarded the contract has been dissolved and therefore recovering the original deposit would not be likely. Therefore it was decided that the deposit paid toward the installation be written off as a bad debt.

Budget

Gem advised that the budget for the forthcoming financial year had been prepared and will shortly be available but it was anticipated that there should not be a significant increase.

Lawn Treatment

Gem provided a quote from AJL Garden Services, as requested, and the work will start in early April, weather permitting.

Trees

The tree work that was instructed is currently being carried out and will be completed shortly.

Wall Repairs

The boundary wall repairs on the Dover Road are anticipated to start in April weather permitting.

Can those residents whose properties back onto the Canada Road boundary wall be requested to remove the weeds growing from the boundary wall. This will hopefully stop any further damage to the wall, as the upkeep of this area is the responsibility of the residents and not SBMC. Dover District Council have advised That the wall repairs need to be carried out using lime mortar due to wall being within a conservation area. The contractor who is carrying out the wall repairs is Hipperson's of Deal and they can be contacted on 01304 369902 and would be pleased to quote for any work that is required by residents with boundary walls.

Bollards

Gem provided some ideas for bollards to be installed for the ongoing protection of vulnerable parts of pavements etc. It was thought however that the ideas put forward would be in line with the existing street furniture already in place. Gem have now been provided with details of a suggested bollard and so will look into costs and advise accordingly.

Street Lighting

It was reported that the street light outside Cavalry Court is still not working and requires replacing on a regular basis. The finial on top of the light is missing, which could be allowing water ingress and could, in turn, be causing the light to fail. Gem will arrange for a contractor to replace the missing section and the bulb. Gem will now keep a record of all light failures and replacements. The street lamp and bulkhead light near the gate by the crossroads with Dover Road, Canada Road and the Strand have both failed and the electricians should also be asked to address these.